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Old 05-01-2002, 09:32 PM   #1
fiesty's mom
 
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Question fiesty

I am raising a baby mockingbird and have become very attached to him (it). The siblings (3) died before i figured out to put a heating pad under them, but the healthiest one has thrived since the introduction of the heating pad. As I said I have become very attached to him as he has grown and gotten feathers, opened his eyes, and at how excited he seems to get when he sees me. I am wondering if it is illegal for me to keep him after he learns to fly? I don't know that I will, but just in case, can I keep him as a pet or is it illegal sine he is the state bird? Does anyone know?
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Old 05-03-2002, 01:42 PM   #2
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While I can appreciate your having developed a bond with your little "mocker", I firmly believe wild animals that are rescued should in most cases be released when they are able to fend for themselves. There are wildlife rescue and rehbilitation organizations that can better care for wild animals and properly safely re-release them into the wild or care for them until they die a natural death.

That said, if you keep the bird be aware its diet will change as it grows up. Mockingbirds have a very varied diet, eating everything from beetles and worms to berries and fruits.

I am not aware of the laws regarding keeping mockingbirds as captive pets, but my greater concern is that it's cared for properly.

As a warning to others, it's truly best to leave wildlife alone even when you suspect it is injured or sick. Call a local wildlife rehibilitation specialist or conservation group, rather than trying to improvise an animal rescue yourself. In the case of baby birds, you can not always be sure the adult birds have "abandoned" the nest. I have found several baby birds over the years (all mockers, in fact) that have fallen from their nests near my house. Even in the instances where I never saw the "mother bird" return to the nest or fallen baby, the babies have fledged and flown off -- I later see them on our fence and feeding from a backyard bird feeder, unscathed. Those that perish are, quite honestly, part of the natural cycle of life...it is, indeed, why many birds lay more than one egg or breed often.
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Last edited by Shannon : 06-28-2006 at 12:31 PM.
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Old 05-03-2002, 09:32 PM   #3
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Technically it's illegal to posses any native bird without some type of permit. This leaves out starlings, house sparrows and pigeons because they are not native. Realistically, Mockingbirds are so common I doubt anybody would care. It's not like they are endangered or threatened.
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Old 01-18-2003, 02:43 PM   #4
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Mockingbirds are, however, the state bird.
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